Akai MPC Key 37 vs MPC Key 61 - Which is Better? 

It would have been nice to compare a "reference project" on both devices: What about loading times, CPU usage, free RAM?

A usb SD card reader solves the sd card problem for the 61. Personally I always install the addition SSD. To update it you simply put the thing in controller mode and transfer files just like an SD card

I will wait for the 49 key edition, when Akai considers all the feedback.

Just to clarify, if you base in the UK the key 37 cost 770£, if you are going to add 5-6 plugins to 37 in the future (which soon or later will happens, if you ever made music you know that, soon or later you will buy additional sounds) this is additional 500-700£ to the price of 37 key, this means you gonna pay finally 1470 with 7 plugins, or 1270 with 5 additional plugins. Consider this facts, because in this price range you can buy brand new key 61, which is definitely more functional and has better hardware.

WOW ! BEST VIDEO, THANKS ! THE PHANTOM POWER IN THE 61 - IS WHAT ATTRACTS ME MORE CAN WE BUY SOUND BANKS SECOND HAND ?

I bought 37 and I follow your channel mainly thanks to the great videos and translation of Akai 37. Can you compare plugins between 37 and 61 and which plugins from Akai should we buy/in what order should we buy plugins from Akai to get the most out of 37?

En la Ky 61 hay espacio de sobra para 16 qlinks

The Key37 really is an MPC with a keyboard. The Key61 is a keyboard that runs the MPC software.

Where’s the quantize section

I'm confused on the 8 plug-ins. Can you use 8 tracks containing a different plug-in on each track? Or is it only 8 tracks period no matter if you use 1 plug-in?

Douglas I'm lost I just got my Akai MPC Key 61 I'm completely new to anything MPC Or synthizer related my first electric keyboard was a Yamaha from Radio Shack which I used to my own version of Techno & Dance Music I got the Key 61 to make more professional sounding dance Music I'm having a very difficult time learning how to record, make beats ect I need some pointers and help

One + midi keyboard.

2GB IN 2024 😂😂😂

2 - 4 gb ram in 2024 it is a joke

You should buy the 61 in the first place as it is fully loaded with sounds, which sounds you will eventually buy any way, as with more music production this is a natural way. Then you will end up with 37 (final price even more than 61) which hardware wise is much lower than 61. Not many people understand the tricky game akai played with the 37 release. Just send 37 back and get 61 instead.

2GB IN 2024? Come on Akai quit rewrapping the same product!! This goes way beyond Keeping the cost down on your products. Musicians need better competent tools to create with. Not things that hinder their creativity with limitations.

Definitely the 61 👍 best of both worlds

Just traded my X for the 61! Its amazing!

Space is a little bit of an issue. But I’m leaning toward the 61 for my first MPC. Just seems like a better bang for your buck. Gonna use your Zzounds link for whatever I chose. God bless

Hands down best comparison I've seen, and I've watched a few... considering I'm about to drop $ on one of the other. Thanks a lot! Great content. Liked and subscribed! And just my 2¢.. u need a computer in life anyway right? So buy the 37.. enjoy the advantages of portability and use it to control the MPC software on your computer when u want to control more plugins, and also allow u to use 3rd party plugins...and that will negate the 2 gig RAM limit..etc..for much less paper.

Thank you for the breakdown I’m a go with the 61 …. I’m not a traveler it will mostly be in my studio with daw ….. and it has was more sounds and plugin adapters and phantom power

Can’t you just connect any sd card reader into the 61 key? Sd card resolved?

For me, having the SD Card ability came in clutch. I can take it out, bring it to my friend's studio, insert the SD Card on his PC and we can both share song ideas and creativity. Portability is also an important factor. My friends and I love to do meetups at this local cafe that actually lends us their private room to simply get together and have fun with our MPC products and let our imaginations loose on the table. Okay, I lied, my friend owns the cafe, which is why we get to have the meetup/ jam sessions we have. He's soundproofed the walls in the 15' x 19' room, installed a converter table that can extend from a hexagon to an octagon that can allow all 8 of us creators/ producers collaborate, and heck, have beat battles as well. It's because of the portability that I happily purchased the Key 37. Honestly, it's my very first MPC product that I've ever purchased. I've had the NI Maschine Studio, and when they came out with the Maschine+, I got that as well because it was a standalone, but there was always something missing, and that was a keyboard. I could've gotten the Key 61 but my friends started bringing their MPC One+'s with mini midi keyboards, and I finally purchased the MPC One+ with the Akai MK3 mini keyboard, and then what happens? The very next morning, Akai announces the Key 37, and I was even able to purchase it the very same day of the announcement and returned the One+ and MK3 micro mini keyboard. Having a similar button layout to the One+, and with having a built-in key bed a lot bigger than the MK3 micro mini keyboard, I couldn't pass it up. Two other of my friends of the Octagon Table (The Round Table), had just gotten their Key 37's over the weekend, and we all can't wait to get together at the Cafe on Wednesday for our weekly meetup, music cypher and collaboration!

61 it is👍✌️

One of the most important differences is the Key37 has USB Midi, inexplicably missing on the 61.

Akai really needs to make the record volume knob more accessible. I’m always adjusting mine.

You're focusing too much on the convenience of swapping SD cards, but you're missing the bigger picture when it comes to performance. SD cards are significantly slower and have higher latency compared to a **SATA SSD**, which offers faster speeds (500 MB/s vs. 300 MB/s max for SD cards). For larger, complex projects, having one large SSD with faster throughput will give you a much smoother workflow, and it's easier to manage with the MPC’s folder system. Plus, swapping smaller SD cards introduces unnecessary bottlenecks. Just make sure to back everything up regularly!

You seem to be confusing the role of RAM in a system like this. I get where you're coming from with the concern over the 2GB of RAM in the MPC Key 37, especially when comparing it to the 4GB in the Key 61. But it’s important to remember that the MPC isn’t a typical computer. The Key 37’s ARM processor and Linux OS is designed to work efficiently with real-time audio tasks, relying less on RAM than a computer would. Plus, the system caps you at 128 MIDI tracks and 8 audio tracks, so you’re not going to hit the same memory issues you would on a computer running multiple apps and dozens background processes. That said, your point is valid in extreme cases with large, sample-heavy projects where the extra RAM in the Key 61 could help. But for most workflows, the 2GB is plenty, thanks to how the MPC is optimized for audio production.

Wow Douglas, I can't believe you didn't shove a 1Tb SSD hard drive into your Key61 when you bought it. It's the first thing I did and means I can have all my old AKAI /EMU sample libraries along with loads of my backing tracks and other stuff. It means I have all my old stuff ready to import into the Key61 whenever I want.

You seem to be missing big details. The 61 had blue USB ports indicating that they are USB 3.0. Significantly better performance than the USB ports on the 37. I think if you’re gonna do a deep dive like this, it’s important to understand all the details beyond reading what it says on paper. I hate to keep doing it, but I’m gonna keep pressing you because you’ve got 18,000 views in your spewing sometimes incorrect information and totally glossing over pretty important details that you don’t even seem to notice that other people are going to find pretty important

Kind of shocking you glossed over the fact that the 61 has an internal power supply. That’s kind of a big deal if you’re taking this thing outside of your house. Internal power supply is way more robust and it’s much more easy to manage scraping up a three prong cord than a whole new power supply if it ever gets misplaced or that little tiny thin cord gets damaged. This shows your lack of technical knowledge, but that’s forgivable.

I have the 61 - I would definately jump on a v2 of this with a full size better keybed. And a tilt screen :)

Great review tank you; i guess i will wait to pull the trigger. I wanted the 37 but 2gig ram vs 4 is a big deal. After i get all the plugins is like i spent the price for a 61. So far the 61 looks like a better deal...and is black

Great video, getting ready to upgrade, and I been bouncing back an fourth 61 or 37 .

I have hydrasynth, komplete Mk3, others and actually think the 61 is a better keybed

Dude thank you for being honest and straight forward with this review. The keyboard eel and functionality is so important and can be quite a deal breaker.

Are these keyboards the same width, Like the side panels?

61

the 8 plugin limitation isn't due to them not "letting" you have more, but more because it's a processing limit. Each plugin is a synthesizer and takes up a lot of CPU power. They both have the same processor, so it wouldn't make sense to allow more plugins on the new one unless it had a stronger processor.

They need to make a vst

No SD CARD on the 61 Key SMH !!

Can you use an USB hub on either one to extend the number of devices you can connect?

Great review , thanks a lot ✋🏻💜

I would recommend Akai's The Vault 2.0 expansion pack. It comes with alot of loops, Drum kits 5 gbs of sounds

Hi! Thanks for sharing, some useful info there. I'm looking at buying the 37, but other than home use, I'm looking into also using the Keys 25 for live use in a band, no sequencing, looping or syncing. If you have some time, I'd really appreciate your input... 1. I see that I can layer 4 sounds & switch them off/on via the pads. Can another midi keyboard be added, and be used to play one or two of those parts (using midi channels etc?). 2. Is the input at the back suitable for a mic (I see the gain knob), or would a preamp be recommended (Shure SM58, but could get another mic, even USB mic). 3. Does that then give access to simultaneous vocals live? (I'd definitely be interested in the vocal effects pack for harmonies etc). If so, is that also something that could be muted via the pads if there was some feedback or something? 4. I see mention of a set-list setup. If the above were feasible, could each song then carry it's own mixture of instruments, and send midi program changes to a second keyboard too? Thanks very much, Gary.

I have the 61 - I would definately jump on a v2 of this with a full size better keybed. And a tilt screen :)

Why do you have both the 37 and 61?

Mpc 37 is better form factor for my setup since I already have 2x 88 key and 2x 61 key and 1x 37 key 61 key is better if standalone but if you have other synths 37 key makes more sense

Hello Douglas, I hope this message finds you well. I'm reaching out after discovering the high-quality content of your videos because I'm eager to embark on a musical journey, starting with the piano. My goal is to create music for personal compositions, incorporating all layers of sound (bass, tempo, vocals, melody, etc.). As a beginner, I'm contemplating the best approach: using software to add all the sound layers and sequence them, or opting for a keyboard, microphone, and loop station. At this stage, I'm instinctively inclined towards a keyboard like M-AUDIO with a loop station. Could you advise me on the equipment to acquire, considering that I don't want to be too limited in software possibilities in the long term, yet remain budget-conscious since music is not my primary profession? I aim to have quality equipment for straightforward and easy work. I'm reaching out to you as a professional to share my passion and gain some efficiency in my research. I hope you can provide insights into my inquiry, and I appreciate your time and consideration. Thank you for the valuable content you create. Best regards

This is just the question I was facing. I do more old school music somI need the extra plugins. I ended up with the 61. Adding the plugins to 37 would have made them the same price. If I end up selling it, I doubt I could get the plugin cost back. They are overpriced, 200eur/usd would have been ok.

Can you download "Arcade Sample " directly to the machine? I'm sorry it's been a very long time since I made beats. The last thing I used was a mc 505

Thanks for the Video! The Key 37 is a MPC One with Keys. The 61 has been given some revisions and unique features.

can you not use a thumb drive inserted into one of the 2 type C usb slots visible at the back to store or transfer files?

I paired my Nord Stage with the Key 37.. Added the Stage Piano , Mini D , Studio Strings , the Organ ,and Fabric plug-ins.. Seriously , the Plug-ins are are Accurate enough I do Not Have to use my Nord Recording.. Love the Size and Ease with the MPC 37 .. Thank You Akai

I just bought the Key37, and have a long way to go with it before finding its true potential

Great info. Thanks Dude 😊

You can use a USB thumb drive on the 61 key, pa

Nice comparison. My only gripe is that in previous renderings of the MPC Key 61 you didn't criticize the keyboard, as much as you did, in this rendering. Keyboard is really bad. I asked you (in comments of some other clip) a question, to which you have not answered me, how I can save settings in "keyboard settings". Thank you for everything.

Didn’t hit 32GB limit yet??? Did you download all the plugins? I can’t install 4 sound plugins and 4 FX because it says I’m at a limit even tho it’s new out of box

The 37 should’ve been portable, that would’ve sold me.

No XLR input on the 37 👎

yeah it can only be a top keyboard right now for live performance, the delay in loading presets & 8 track minimum is tough. I use the 61 for small gigs

wow i am nepal

I would never advise anyone to use internal storage for projects. Buy a USB stick or SD Card for your projects. People have had problems when they filled up the internal storage. Get started from day one using some other storage for your projects.

Douglas can I use a Yamaha sustain pedal on the MPC or do I have to buy one with reverse polarity? Thanks in advance man

I wish they would have kept the BROWSER button on the MPC Key37

For one song the device seems to be fine... But does it have the power in tracks and channels to do a Direct Session of 20 songs in the same file or record per song?

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